MANZ Legal | Lawyers

MANZ is a law firm in Utrecht, the Netherlands, that offers companies high-quality legal support. MANZ assists both national and international companies in areas such as the hotel and catering industry, the construction industry, the hotel sector, offshore and consumer electronics.

MANZ is your legal sparring partner and your legal conscience. MANZ’s lawyers have experience in all legal issues that might rise in your company. MANZ can assist you during negotiations and conduct legal proceedings when needed. MANZ can draft your contracts to the very highest standard, from general conditions of sale to complex acquisitions, in Dutch, English or Turkish. MANZ is right on your case.

As MANZ is able to substantially limit its overhead costs, the firm can offer tailor-made services at excellent rates. A fixed price is agreed wherever possible, so you know exactly where you stand.

Contact us for a no-obligation introduction.

Specialisations

Companies big and small can rely on MANZ for all their corporate-law and commercial-law issues. At MANZ you will have one single point of contact who you can reach directly.

MANZ takes your problems out of your hands. If MANZ does not have specific expertise available in-house, the firm will engage the services of legal professionals from its network in consultation with you. MANZ’s lawyers will of course guarantee the quality of these professionals.

Corporate law

MANZ’s lawyers provide advice in the field of corporate governance. This includes issues relating to the internal structure of a legal entity and the rights and obligations of the bodies involved, such as directors and shareholders.

In case of disputes within the company the Enterprise Division of the Court of Appeal can be submitted. MANZ’s lawyers know how sensitive these matters can be. They will therefore work with the client to identify the opportunities, analyse the risks and develop a strategy. This can result in a consultation process instead of legal proceedings.

MANZ’s lawyers also have many years’ experience of setting up and organising joint ventures, other collaborative arrangements and start-ups at both a national and international level.

Insolvency

MANZ’s lawyers are experts when it comes to assisting companies in financial difficulties. They analyse the situation in order to then identify a constructive approach in close consultation with you. This can result in a restructuring in which healthy business units are retained, or liquidation, possibly followed by a restart.

MANZ also assists companies in their dealings with a bankruptcy trustee during liquidation proceedings. For example if a subsidiary or supplier is declared insolvent. In this case, it is essential to limit the negative consequences as much as possible.

Finally, MANZ’s lawyers can also assist during suspension of payments procedures.

Mergers & acquisitions

MANZ has experience of national and international mergers and acquisitions. MANZ can assist clients during the ‘pre-contractual phase’, the negotiations, the due diligence process and during the formation of the sale and purchase agreement. Over the years, MANZ’s lawyers have built up an extensive network of professionals such as civil-law notaries, tax consultants and accountants.

Contracts

A good start is half the battle. If your general terms and conditions have been properly formulated you can take effective action when the situation demands. A well-formulated contract saves on long legal proceedings and high costs. This is ultimately what MANZ is all about. MANZ’s lawyers work with you and provide a tailor-made service when drafting your contracts. MANZ has a great deal of experience of drawing up national and international distribution, agency, manufacturing and production agreements in a wide range of sectors.

Procedural law & debt collection

MANZ has many years’ experience in the field of general procedural law. MANZ can provide you with professional assistance during legal proceedings if you want to insist that your contracting party meets his obligations. The aim in the first instance will be to achieve the best possible outcome via consultations. If this approach proves unsuitable, we will then advise you to bring proceedings.

Do you have problems with late or non-payment? If so, MANZ will collect your outstanding debts in close collaboration with third parties such as the enforcement agent. Our fees can be based on the scale of the debt to be collected.

Team

The MANZ Legal team consists of three attorneys at law and one Legal Counsel. In addition to their work as attorneys, the founders Akin Alan and Tom Bogers gained a lot of experience as business lawyers, working as Legal Counsels for large companies for several years. The aforementioned combination of experiences enables Mr. Alan and Mr. Bogers to understand exactly what is going on in your company, so that they can serve your interests in a most optimum way. Jilles van Zinderen joined MANZ Legal in November 2013. His excellent litigation skills are a welcome addition to the firm. Since September 2018 Nicky joined MANZ Legal as a Legal Counsel.

More information about their training and experience is given below.

Akin Alan

Akin Alan completed his studies in Dutch Law in 1999 at the University of Amsterdam. He subsequently took up employment as a attorney at law at Loyens & Loeff. From 2003 to 2010, Akin worked as Legal and Corporate Counsel for multinationals in the consumer electronics and real estate sectors. Over the period 2010-2012, he was responsible for the corporate section of an Amsterdam based law firm. Akin Alan writes and speaks fluent German, English and Turkish.

Tom Bogers

Tom Bogers studied Dutch law at Utrecht University. After graduating in1998, he spent three years working as Legal Counsel for an energy company. In 2002, following the liberalisation of the electricity market, Mr Bogers moved over to the legal profession. He ran a general practice over the period 2002-2009. Since 2009 he has run an independent practice in which he assists business owners with commercial-law disputes, drafts contracts and sets up collaborations.

Jilles van Zinderen

* General procedural law and debt collection
* Corporate and commercial law
* Law relating to trees

Jilles van Zinderen studied Dutch Law at the University of Groningen and has been an attorney at law since 2004. He is primarily involved in corporate litigation and debt collection. He advises companies about all kinds of civil law matters and will not hesitate to enforce your rights through court proceedings if necessary. Finally, Jilles is one of the few lawyers who can genuinely claim to be a specialist in law relating to trees. This could for instance be about disputes between neighbours, liability for damages caused by / or to a tree, felling permits, and so forth. Go to www.bomenrecht.nl (note: in Dutch) for further information about this subject.

Nicky Jansen

Nicky Jansen obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Dutch Law at the University of Utrecht. Subsequently Nicky completed the Master’s degree in Civil Law at the University of Amsterdam (Vrije Universiteit). During her studies, Nicky’s practical experience included employment law and contract law: she worked as an intern at an international law firm at the labour law department and as a lawyer for a legal advice centre. Furthermore Nicky was an author for the legal journal: The Juncto.

Since September 2018 Nicky joined MANZ Legal as a Legal Counsel.

Turkish desk

The Turkish economy is experiencing strong growth and this is noticeable. Many Turkish companies manufacture goods for Western European consumers. European companies also have products manufactured in Turkey. For a long time now this has no longer been limited to traditional products such as textiles, but is instead increasingly extending to complex products and services. Turkey has become an attractive country for investment due to the high returns compared to other Western European markets.

MANZ Legal conducts legal proceedings on behalf of Turkish companies in the Netherlands, and provides advice in matters relating to corporate law. MANZ Legal is also engaged by Dutch business owners who want to invest or manufacture in Turkey.

Especially for entrepreneurs in Turkey MANZ Legal, in collaboration with Coney Tax Experts developed the website HollandaHukuku.com. This website explains in Turkish and English how the Dutch legal and tax systems work.

Akin Alan speaks and writes fluently Turkish. Mr Alan has been involved in a large number of major acquisitions, joint ventures and project financing arrangements between companies in the Netherlands, Germany and Turkey. Mr Alan’s network encompasses an impressive number of professionals from various disciplines in Turkey. He offers a great deal of added value thanks to his experience of both Dutch and Turkish trading practices.